5 Ways Content is Experiencing Its Own Health Reform

During a recent project, I got a crash course in Healthcare Reform. Not ObamaCare but rather the undercurrent of initiatives causing a major paradigm shift in the industry. To survive the shift, healthcare entities will have to marry new-school technologies with old-school industry values.  And, the key initiatives, when stripped down, are strikingly familiar. That’s…

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What Makes Content Effective?

Like all marketing efforts, Content Marketing has one ultimate goal — to produce new customers or clients. That’s a given. However, HOW content achieves this goal is a different story. In fact, there is no one magic recipe for creating effective content that sells. That’s actually what makes Content Marketers’ jobs so much stinkin’ fun! Content has to be…

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Content Marketing: 5 New Rules We Can’t Ignore

This week I had the surreal honor of attending Content Marketing World 2011 in Cleveland. I say “surreal” because I was surrounded by people who didn’t just chant “Content is King.” These people are actually running the kingdom. The overall message that emerged from the conference was simple but refreshing: Keep it Real. Make it…

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Why Your Blog Is Your Social Media Hub

“Smart social media marketing is always paired with a well-planned and well-maintained blog.” At Well Planned Web, we utter that phrase at least 10 times a week and include it in every presentation we give. Why? It’s simple. The Social Networks are swimming with partiers and elbow-rubbers. As I like to say, “Any Monkey Can Tweet.” But,…

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When Good Blogs Go Bad

Social Media has very few rules that are black and white. Which is why real-world examples tend to be the easiest way to demonstrate the power of these explosive marketing tools. That said, sometimes the best way to learn how to do something right is to see examples of what happens when it’s done wrong!…

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Shut Up, Listen Up, and Read!

For those of you who have endured my voice and tone workshops and training, brace yourself. Deana’s got her “rant” voice on today. If you’re a thought leader who’s genuinely ready to enlighten, educate and inspire others…awesome! Guess what? Your business will grow along with your online influence. This blog and my business are ALL…

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Writing a Blog Post That Generates Sales Leads

Generating sales leads from your blog while remaining authentic is not only possible, it’s mandatory! But, during the editorial planning and brainstorming process, it’s easy to overlook the most effective sales-generating blog post ideas. Am I saying you should rehire Your Inner Sales Guy? Heck no! I’m encouraging you to add genuine, straight-up value that…

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Embrace and Nurture Your Followers

Once again, TED blows us away with their simplified dissection of leadership and how to “make a movement.” Key messages: You’re not a leader until you have your first follower. As a true leader, you must embrace your followers as equals! How does this translate to your online presence? Respond to comments on your blog…

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Content is King Offline, Too.

Emmy award-winner, Bill Stainton, captured the attention of NSA Central Florida this week as he presented, “What I learned from 29 Emmys that Speakers Need to Know.” Bill’s insight and expertise left me with pages of fantastic takeaways. He challenged us to focus on our presentation through three lenses: The Producer Lens, The Writer Lens…

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Why Uncertainty Makes For Killer Blog Content

Always let them see you sweat (a little). Whenever I speak to an audience about Blogging, Social Media or web strategy, there is that moment where I know I’m most vulnerable — The Q&A session! Although confident in my content and preparation, there’s sometimes a little crumb of fear that someone will ask questions I’m…

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How to Fire Your Inner Sales Guy

Are you hearing voices? By now you know that, as a Thought Leader, it’s critical to lose the “sales speak” when creating content. But, when writing about topics that relate to service offerings or products—we can easily slip into “sales speak” fast. Before we know it, we’ve blurted out, “Buy our stuff,” or “Call me…

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